Sunday, May 08, 2016

New Books: The Stardom Affair by Robert S. Levinson

More than ten years ago—The first crime novel I sold, The Elvis and Marilyn Affair, featured
a Los Angeles newspaper columnist, Neil Gulliver, and his ex-wife, “Sex Queen
of the Soaps” Stevie Marriner. They were enthusiastically adopted by readers
who relished their showbiz-based adventure and wanted more.

Consequently, Neil and Stevie starred in my next three
novels, trading loving, lighthearted banter and sharing danger and tight
brushes with murder and mayhem that involved marquee names such as James Dean,
John Lennon and even Andy Warhol.

Then—

Poof!

Like that.

They disappeared from view, apart from the occasional short
story appearance in Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock and other publications
over the years.

Gone, but certainly not forgotten, and definitely not because
readers had tired of them.

Au contraire.

As much as I loved treating their fans to the adventures of
Neil and Stevie, I felt trapped. I had never intended to lock myself into a
series. There were other characters and other stories I had in me that were
anxious to bust loose. So, off I went, in time turning out nine standalones
that, happily, kept my readers coming back for more. But—

Their desire for more Neil and Stevie never went away.

At store and library appearances, conferences and
conventions, even in social media exchanges, I was asked, “When are you
bringing Neil and Stevie back?” “Are you ever going to bring Neil and Stevie
back?” “What do you have against Neil and Stevie? What’d they ever do to you?”
“The new stuff is fine, but another Neil and Stevie would be finer for me and
your other longtime readers, sir.” “It’s more Neil and Stevie or no more me,
you get my meaning?”

I always answered by expressing my own affection for Neil and
Stevie and leaving open the window of possibility. It arrived one day, about a
year and a half ago, when I plopped down in front of my computer and stared at
a blank screen, wondering what to follow The
Evil Deeds We Do with.

Neil and Stevie?

Okay, yes, sure, why not, if I could figure out how to
overcome a major obstacle. By the last of those four early mystery-thrillers,
Neil and Stevie had aged substantially and she had moved on from the soaps to
stage and movie stardom.Moving forward
was certainly possible, but moving backward in time might be closer to what
their persistent fans wanted and more fun for me to write.

And that’s how The
Stardom Affair came to pass, like a prequel that’s not exactly a prequel:

It's decades ago, when the internet was in its infancy.

Neil is summoned to the apartment of actor Roddy Donaldson,
leader of the "Diapered Dozen" gang of teenage movie stars, by condo
manager Sharon Glenn. Roddy is in bed clinging to life alongside two dead
girls, no memory of who they are or how they got there. Evidence points to him
as their killer.

At the urging of Roddy's mother, a prominent casting
director, Neil chases after the truth, encountering a motley cast of suspects:
among them nasty Nicky Edmunds, co-starring with pal Roddy in Tough Times Two, and glamorous Jayne
Madrigal, a high-powered press agent with whom Neil is smitten when Stevie
introduces them at a lavish Stardom
Magazine gala.

Also: rap superstar Maxie Trotter and his manager, Roscoe Del
Ruth; Gene Coburn and Knox Lundigan, millionaire partners in Stardom House
companies revolutionizing the internet; model-songstress Aleta Haworth, who
knows more than she's telling; fading film star Brian Armstrong, who harbors
dark truths; and Stevie's mother, Juliet, and her fiancé, Bernie Flame, a
computer whiz who may be able to find answers for Neil in the secret
underground world of the Web. More bodies fall and Neil faces an ugly death
before the killer of the two girls is revealed.

The comments from early readers, fellow authors whose work I
admire, have been extremely generous:

“The author has delivered
a fast-paced, surprisingly dark, not-surprisingly witty thriller that
includes a scene of movieland sex and violence more nightmarish than anything
devised by Nathanael West or David Lynch”—Dick Lochte, award-winning author of Sleeping
Dog

“When one of Hollywood's hottest young stars
finds himself in a tangle with two dead bodies and almost dead of a drug
overdose himself, Neil Gulliver's reporter's instincts are aroused, and he's
plunged into an ever darker world of sex, drugs, and murder. The patter is
snappy, the writing is sharp, and the observations are pointed as a dagger in
another winner from Levinson.”—Bill Crider, award-winning author of the Sheriff
Dan Rhodes mysteries

“From big box office
powerbrokers to L.A.'s seething underworld of designer drugs and porn movies,
you're in for the roller-coaster ride of your reading life. But then, it's
no surprise –Robert S. Levinson is a master of style and suspense. Buy
this book and enjoy!”—Gayle Lynds, New York Times best-selling author of
The Assassins

“Robert S. Levinson handles the hardboiled style of storytelling with
soft, sure hands. Neil Gulliver continues to be one of the most reliable
main characters in the genre. And, along with his ex-wife, Stevie Marriner,
they continue to channel Nick & Nora Charles. Reading The Stardom
Affair is time well spent.”—Robert J. Randisi, best-selling author of the Rat Pack mysteries.

I’m hopeful (of course) The Stardom Affair will also score
positively with Neil and Stevie’s longtime fans and readers unfamiliar with the
darling duo. Whichever category you fall into—be advised The Stardom Affair is available now, on line and off, from your
favorite bookseller.